Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-23
IN TEE YEnLowsToNE.
A., Eruption Of Old Faithful, the Pct
Gcysor Of enc Upper Basin.
fSau Francisco Chronicie.I
y - 81 Al, - 1900.

A, y;rurfiou Of Old Faithful, the Pct
Gcysor Of thc Upper BASIN.
fSau Francisco Chroniclel
Old Faithful, the pet geyser Of the
rpper basin. is situated only a few rods
from the hotel. You hear it splashing
in the night, and, if you have kept your
reckoning, can actually tell the hour
he is so regular in his action. Never
wasa gcyscr better named. Once every
sixty minutes, without fail, he asserts
himself. The mouth of Old Faith
FIJI protrudcs somewhat, as if he were
always ready to spout. His Is
generous mouth, six feet by two,
and twelve feet above the level of
the plateau; hut the face of him Is also
distended. as if fixed in the act Of blow
mo. and the slope to the lips covers an
area of l4l by2lj feet. You may walk
up to the mouth OF Old Faithful and
look down his throat if You like. There
is nothing visible but passage full OF
water. You may drop IN handkerchief
or any bit of cloth aud watch it Become
saturated and sink from view; then You
can walk few rods away and SIT down
under the bushes, and II II Is near tine
hour of eruption your wlsest way
is to do this Immediately. Not
that there IS any particular danger IN
delay. for even had Old Faithful begun
oporatious there would be tiyle to nun
out of roach-hut it Is 30 pretty to
vnfca him at Il safe distance, and then
Il is 6niv from distance that one gets
any idea of the height of the gcyser
column. Now by looking at your
watch yen vii note that it IS time for
the old fellow to begin. lie does not
vary ten minutes one way or the. other
dufue the tour and twenty hours.
With watch ia hand You listen for the
preliminary rumble. There il Isl A
kind of choking sound in his throat
and a moaning as of intestinal dis
turbances; this is followed 10y II splut-
ter and stopping over that Is like a
futile attempt.
For moment you lose confidence;
Won begin t. fear that his dag is over
Tor every gcyscr has his day, and sooner
or later that day comes to an end-and
this ERUPTION is bound to be Il failure
Ills rcpntatiun is 1T STAKE, and he knows
if. fer after half dozen ab3rtire DIS.
charges -ahortiyc when compared with
what he has done and can d.
when he is in good form, bat
such as would make fame and for
tune for % spring outside o.
the Yellowstone Reformation lumlne
and frettiug and catching Lis hrcathani
retching for three or four minutes ne
rcts mad. and bang. lie is of, with q
column Of water that curls outward on
every side in Il magnificent capital, and
wells itself in clouds Of whirling ylp0r.
Higher and higher it climbs, Is If en-
doayoring to Quito himself. You see
he rs redeeming his reputation, until at
| last il, tOpm0st wave seems actually
10 catch an azure beauty from the
sl.v. and to leave part of its dla-
mGpd dust aloit, there b be absorbed
ly the sunshine. in five minutes he l,
satisfied; he has exhausted his enthn
siasm and his resources at the same mo-
ment. and ne quietly but maieSticallY
and with great dignity SUBSIDIES with al
mdihle sigh. re steam5yigorously foi
a iittle while, and pants as from sheer
fatigue. but shortly he Is as quiet as /.
Inc Ind never done anything out Of tn
common, and NE does it So easiiy and
SO naturally that it is hard O. bclicy,
tbot he Inns.
just before the c1lptionthc water ia
! CID FM5ifurs throat stood at tempe
nature OF 30 degrees Fahrenheit No"
Z is down to no degrees L"Arenh'-t
That ,ittlo iroshct yonder is the surplus
tie overflow from this small mouth.
now Aostnmg To- thc ryrt IN the hca,
of the Nal.,H Hcfo IS the haudkor
chief you dropped into the gey5er be-
| fore the eIurf!on Il has been thrown
/ thntg feet from the lips OF The crater
/ bad the Wind been blowing it NIGH
| have lodged City or hundred feet iur
thcrvot away: it looks Ike tan g,ed
skciu lut for the knot you thou sht
! fully O.. Il % n rIlrl ans There would not